August 21, 2018

Intelligence Community Weighs in on Brennan

The left sees Trump’s actions as “personal retribution” and “another instance of the Trump administration bailing on important precedent.”

Wired

The right believes that Trump was correct in revoking Brennan’s security clearance.

Rep. Jim Himes

D-CT), a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, writes, “John Brennan is an invaluable asset to our national security and to the United States as a whole. You could count on one hand the number of individuals with more expertise in his field... To take revenge on one more individual on his enemies list, the president is once again putting political consideration and personal animosity above national security.”

The Hill

Some point out that an executive order issued by then-President Bill Clinton requires a comprehensive process including appeals for revoking security clearances. “If Brennan chooses to challenge Trump’s action, he could stir up quite a fuss, presenting the president with yet another continuing struggle on top of all the others he’s facing. And it could be a long one... lasting years.”

Washington Post

Finally, some point out that “far from trying to silence Brennan, Trump is elevating him. He wants to make Brennan the face of the so-called resistance. This is the Trump playbook… Trump understands that singling out Brennan will only amplify Brennan’s voice. If mere punishment were Trump’s goal, he would have simply urged the CIA to revoke Brennan’s clearance. Instead, he did it himself — thereby letting the world know that Brennan is his foil. And so far, Brennan has obliged.”

Bloomberg

The right believes that Trump was correct in revoking Brennan’s security clearance.

Many argue that “Brennan monetized his security clearance to flavor his ‘commentary’ with the tang of inside knowledge. There is no government interest in that, and the government has no place allowing Brennan to hold a clearance for his own profit... A clearance isn’t a gift; it’s a tool issued by the government so employees can get work done. Brennan is working now only for himself. He deserved to lose his clearance.”

The American Conservative

“[Brennan] speaks out in a nod-and-a-wink manner, the undercurrent of which is that if he could only tell you the secrets he knows, you’d demand Trump’s impeachment forthwith... For the overwhelming majority of officials, the presumption should be that security clearances lapse when they leave their government jobs. Intelligence access is a ‘need to know’ proposition; upon exiting, a now-former official no longer needs to know... As is often the case with President Trump, the right thing has been done here for the wrong reason.”